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On 12/20/2022 at 4:55 PM, SirSmellingtonofCascadia said:

WCW Uncensored 1997 notes:

  • Some WCW star left the company, according to Mean Gene. Who was it? No seriously, I'm trying to think about who he's talking about. Was it an actual star, or was it like, Maxx or somebody?
     
  • After the match, Vandenberg calls out Wrath, who I think kinda rules, honestly. What is the general DVDVR assessment of Bryan Clarke? He's a really fun above-average hoss wrestler, IMO. Wrath and Mortis beat Glacier up to crickets. Well, I enjoyed it. We got a Death Penalty and everything. 

to your first point, when i did my WCW rewatch, i was constantly wondering about Mean Gene's hotline shills. So much intentional vagueness. And stuff like this. Who left? who knows? it was probably a low/midcard nobody. i remember at one point he was saying that a former WCW champion had left or something, and it turns out it was a one-time tag champ from like 6-7 years earlier. who even cares?
i wish there was an archive to listen to his old WCW hotline reports. i'm sure there would be some good laughs in there. Did Meltzer cover it in the Observer back then? i've never been a subscriber.

that is exactly my take on Wrath as well. hugely intimidating physical presence, more than competent in the ring. unfortunately, he has negative mic skills, so if he doesn't have a mouthpiece, he just languishes.

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3 hours ago, twiztor said:

that is exactly my take on Wrath as well. hugely intimidating physical presence, more than competent in the ring. unfortunately, he has negative mic skills, so if he doesn't have a mouthpiece, he just languishes.

I'd go so far to say that KroniK are my favorite MNW-era WCW knockoff of the competing product by far, and I like them just about as much as the APA. 

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2.19.83 Mid-South notes:

I love that Hacksaw Duggan starts his Mid-South face turn by hating on a couple of brown guys because 'MERICA. I mean, could it happen any other way?

While I'm here: This episode shows the ending of Flair/KVE in the cage from the point just before Gordy pretty recklessly slams the door into Kerry's head and it is fucking SWEET. When everyone pulls off a "the face fights back from pain and passes out rather than get pinned or submit" ending perfectly, it's one of the best things in wrestling. This is even better than Austin/Hart WM 13 because Kerry had the title won with the Discus Punch, but had zero left after hitting it and just passed out. What a BEAST, right? Oh man. That is a perfect way to run that finish. I love it more every time I see it. 

One more edit: Look, the ninja coming out on a motorbike, forgetting his kendo stick, and running back to get it is the FUNNIEST thing I've seen in wrestling in awhile, intentional or otherwise. Hilarious. 

Edited by SirSmellingtonofCascadia
To talk about how much KVE/Flair in the cage rules and also about kendo stick weirdness
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The temperature is 4 degrees below zero so it's time to go to 2012 NXT. As we enter October 2012 NXT TV, Seth Rollins is the champion, the Usos and Ascension are feuding, Kassius Ohno might still have a beef with Richie Steamboat. No matches were obviously set up for this next episode but let's see who shows up.

S6 E16 (October 3rd, 2012)

We open with a video of Kassius Ohno and Richie Steamboat from last week.

Earlier today, a well dresses Kassius Ohno enters the lobby at Full Sail and Mr. TV Announcer talks to him, only for Richie Steamboat to sneak attack him while also wearing a suit. Some random fans (or Full Sail students) look on. It's a lot nicer than a parking lot beatdown.

Drew McIntyre vs Richie Steamboat: Drew is here for the first time since the tournament. Nice kick to the midsection by Drew to counter when Richie springs out of the corner. Nice exchange of moves between these two. Kassius Ohno shows up to distract the ref so that Drew McIntyre could win with his DDT (and a legal cast shot). Lots of hair going on here between McIntyre and Ohno.

Our tag team main event is Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd vs the Ascension!

Did You Know? the WWE Network of Facebook pages (is that like how all the Wrestling shows were bundled in syndication ratings) adds 75000 new followers every day.

Big E. Langston vs Aidan English: Aidan looks like Cesaro with more hair and less physique. Big E sells no punches and then goes to work on Aidan. Vader attack, straps down, Big Ending. Big E demands a 5 count. The fans want more. Big E does the Big Ending again and counts 5. This would be like if there was a TV studio where a 5 counting King Kong Bundy became the biggest babyface in the territory. Big E does the Big Ending for a 3rd time and does another 5 count.

Kassius Ohno faces Percy Watson later! Meanwhile Richie Steamboat walks through the narrow hallways and looks for Kassius Ohno. Michael McGillicutty is no help at finding people.

Next week, CM Punk shows up!

Michael McGillicutty is calling out Seth Rollins because he wants a title shot. Seth Rollins comes out to say that McGillicutty runs his mouth nonstop and that he (Seth) hasn't been handed anything. Right now I think an anti-nepo approach would involve feuding with 2/3rds of the roster. McGillicutty turns down the idea of an impromptu match.

Earlier today, Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel talk to an interviewer in an empty NXT Arena. The Ascension watch on from a nearby window.

Kassius Ohno vs Percy Watson: Richie Steamboat sneak attacks Kassius Ohno again. Twice in one show. Must have gotten that from his mother. Kassius will still face Percy Watson despite the traditional face/heel dynamic being a bit ass-backwards here. Percy with a front slam where his left hand is above the neck instead of below it. Kassius takes control for a few, only to run into an inverted atomic drop and some dropkicks. Kassius beats Percy by elbowing him in the back of the head.

The Ascension vs Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel: Tyson Kidd is probably still relatively young to be a roster veteran ace. Things go back and forth. Tyson Kidd makes the hot tag to Justin Gabriel. Things go haywire. Gabriel misses the 450 and gets hit by the Total Elimination for an Ascension win.

S6 E17 (October 10th, 2012)

We start with CM Punk demanding respect. He's here to watch Seth Rollins. Can't imagine this leads to anything in a month or so.

Bo Dallas vs Johnny Curtis: Just noticed the one black glove (which I probably could have noticed like 15 episodes ago) that Bo's wearing. Bo had a nice belly to belly counter. He wins it with a spear, which is certainly a finish to use for one of the skinnier looking dudes on this roster.

Kaitlyn/Alicia Fox vs Paige/Audrey Marie: We're in a bit of a transitional period for women in this company. Where the work is getting better but Stephanie hadn't yet started the Divas revolution yet. Paige pins Alicia Fox again, this time with a rolling reverse cradle off the ropes.

Jake Carter hitting on a woman apparently leads to Jake Carter vs Trent Barreta next week.

Seth Rollins gets an interview interrupted by CM Punk and they share a personal talk.

Did you know? Friday Night Smackdown has been the highest rated show on SyFy every week for 2 years

Leo Kruger vs Dante Dash: Leo's really giving off Al Snow vibes with his weird smiling and hair rubbing. Leo Kruger wins in a few minutes with his personal neckbreaker variant. Also he pulled out some of his hair and he gets postmatch mictime.

Michael McGillicutty gets a prematch promo in an abandoned town square or wherever this interview is taking place.

Seth Rollins (c) vs Michael McGillicutty for the NXT Championship:

CM Punk is on commentary for this one with JR and Regal (he's here scouting for the future, oh is he). McGillicutty with a nice dropkick counter of Rollins' springboard something. McGillicutty avoids the Curb Stomp/Blackout and hits a backdrop. Perfectplex countered into an inside cradle. Rollins wins with a Sliced Bread to retain.

S6 E18 (October 17th, 2012)

We open with the title match from the last episode.

Alex Riley vs Jinder Mahal: It's the first we've seen of Jinder since the tournament. Nice that they kept his box around for his return. Alex Riley wins with a cradle in a bit of a surprise, and there's the obligatory postmatch beatdown by Jinder. I didn't pay a ton of attention to this match.

Later tonight: Feuds combine, the Usos and Richie Steamboat vs Kassius Ohno and the Ascension. Also, Trent Baretta vs Jake Carter.

Trent Baretta vs Jake Carter: If there was anybody on these NXT rosters exposed as impersonating the son of a wrestler, I'd suspect Jake Carter first. Jake Carter has a pretty decent look, all things considered. So naturally it just didn't happen at this time. Trent with a nice lunatic crossbody bump into the ropes. Impressive sounding clothesline from Jake for a nearfall. It's Carter Time might not be the catchiest slogan. Trent wins with an elbow off the ropes.

We get a video of Big E. Langston kicking some ass.

Damien Sandow vs Brandon Traven: Sandow's prematch spiel makes me want to check to see if he's been in Control Your Narrative yet or if he's still in Corgan's NWA. Traven being trained by Harley Race's school gets mentioned a bit by Regal. Sandow wins with his neckbreaker.

The Raw Rebound is back! We got a choose your opponent contract signing on the big show with Vince, CM Punk, Cena, and Ryback. Ryback really carved a path for Braun Strowman.

The Ascension and Kassius Ohno vs Richie Steamboat and the Usos: Richie Steamboat runs through the Usos to sneakattack Kassius Ohno yet again. We go to a commercial just as the match kicks off. Long period with Jey Uso in peril (or as JR calls him just "Uso"). Richie gets the hot tag to go at Kassius. Then Ohno gets the pin by knocking out Richie with the elbow from behind as he came off the ropes.

S6 E19 (October 24th, 2012)

We open with Heath Slater walking into Dusty's office to request a match with Seth Rollins. Vickie Guerrero also shows up.

We got a discoball in the house, so we got more Broadus Clay for some reason. PN News was truly ahead of his time.

Broadus Clay vs Camacho: A match between the only NXT roster member whose family ties aren't mentioned and a guy who confused people thought was a Dick Murdoch relative because his last name is Murdoch. Nice of them to condense guys who I'm not particularly interested in seeing into one match. A T-Bone suplex by Broadus, didn't know he was also Taz. Broadus wins with the splash. More random kids get to dance with Broadus postmatch. Tyrus has always been for the kids.

Paige! tonight!

Also NXT now has an interview podium. Richie Steamboat is here and he's injured. Kassius Ohno comes out wearing Dudley Boys caliber glasses before coming on down to the ring.

Kassius Ohno vs Trent Barreta: After minutes of action, Richie Steamboat comes on down to toss a towel at Kassius Ohno, distracting him so that Trent could hit a move for the win.

Our commentators for this week are William Regal and Tony Laufman.

Paige/Aubrey Marie vs Layla/Alicia Fox: Alicia Fox is just looking around for the right partner here. This one goes on for a little bit and ends with Aubrey Marie tagging herself in and immediately getting pinned.

Seth Rollins prematch promo

Bronson! Up Next! he looks like he would have been a Koloff in 1987.

Bronson vs Lincoln Brodrick: Bronson just returned to the WWE this week, so some of these guys stick around forever somehow. Bronson gets a win with a leglock just after Regal notes his fear of Bronson.

Kassius Ohno is angry in a Full Sail University computer lab!

Antonio Cesaro is here and he has the US title belt. He wants us to stand up for the National Anthem.... of Switzerland. Instead Tyson Kidd comes out to defend America and also he wants a US title shot.

Did You Know? The WWE offers all US Military personnel free tickets!

And the Raw Rebound too. AJ Lee is resigning as Raw GM due to false allegations. Hey, that's a segment to have Vince in the ring for in retrospect! Vickie Guerrero is now on Raw and they fight for a little bit. But AJ Lee and John Cena only had dinner, they're not fucking, they insist. Exhilarating stuff going on over on the big show.

Seth Rollins vs Heath Slater: This is a non-title match. Vickie Guerrero is here for the occasion. Reasonably good match but eh, it's Heath Slater. Not sure how many tapings took place between Heath jobbing to Scotty Too Hotty and Heath facing the NXT Champion on this show. Seth wins with the Sliced Bread.

It kinda feels like this show is in a little bit of a lull post-tournament aside from Kassius vs Richie. I'll check back in soonish to see how things start going in November (plus October 31st)

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5 hours ago, SirSmellingtonofCascadia said:

I'd go so far to say that KroniK are my favorite MNW-era WCW knockoff of the competing product by far, and I like them just about as much as the APA. 

I always got a kick out of Adam Bomb in WWF -- his gimmick was incredibly goofy, but he had an above-average move set for a big man and, based on the one time I saw him live, was one of the few guys on the roster at the time to give it 110% on house shows.

I liked Kronik as well -- a good big man team with decent double teams, but they had X-Pac heat with the crowd.

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Spring Stampede '97 notes:

  • I am so pleased that Rey Misterio Jr. gets a nice face pop here in Tupelo. This opener is a good match once Ultimo Dragon dispenses with the unnecessary legwork that means nothing. Dragon hits a jumping Tombstone, but pulls Rey up at two, which you surely know is a mistake. Dragon works a surfboard and a sleeper and a headlock and it's all pretty drama-free. All anyone wants is for Rey to make his comeback and hit the springboard rana. Irritatingly, we go back to Lee Marshall trying to get an interview with Kevin Nash during this match.

 

  • This crowd LOVES Rey and a couple of people on the hard camera side pop for every bit of offense he does. Rey takes a wild bump over the post when Dragon dropkicks him from the corner to the floor. This match is now good because Dragon keeps finding creative ways to kill Rey's comeback attempts. Dragon does a giant swing and then falls over dizzily, which gets a laugh from this crowd, and let me say how much I like a crowd that gets it and appreciates the art of pro wrestling in its many forms. The crowd bites on near falls for both guys before Rey finally is able to hold on to the legs on a springboard rana for three. This was good once it became about Dragon killing Rey's bursts of comeback offense, but the crowd helped it immensely.

 

  • Great, more of Lee Marshall knocking on the nWo's locker room door. Well, at least Scott Steiner shows up and tries to get in. Nash spits in Scotty's face and, uh, Dellinger and some cops mace Scott. Oh, WCW. Bless you. Anyway, I guess Scott Hall couldn't make it to the show and WCW didn't want to run a handicap match. Later on, Tony S. reports that Scott Steiner was arrested because this backstage confrontation was *checks notes* the same as every other one that doesn't end in an arrest in pro wrestling. Fuck off. 

 

  • The crowd giveth and taketh away: They get deep into  U-S-A chants. To be fair to them, Akira Hokuto and Madusa beg for that reaction. Madusa throws some "Rousey sparring before the Holly Holm fight" -level punches early in this match, which actually seemed like it was starting okay before that spot. Overall, though, this match is not as poor as I thought it'd be, though Madusa is having her own rapid post-WWF physical decline, a la Big Bossman. It looks like Madusa finally might win the Women's gold, but Luna Vachon runs in and takes out Madusa's knee. Hokuto rolls onto Madusa for three, and you know what, it was acceptable. 

 

  • Also acceptable is Steven William Regal/Prince Iaukea. I should give it a bit more credit than that, actually; Regal works a match in which he is clearly the smarter, more blooded veteran, but his nonchalance and arrogance give Iaukea a fighting chance to win. Iaukea sits down on a roll-up attempt for three in a clever finish, though Regal wins a punch-up after the bell and puts the Regal Stretch on Iaukea post-match. He breaks it only to hit a belt shot and destroy Iaukea's arm. 

 

  • Ric Flair's interview with Gene Okerlund gets the crowd hyped for Flair's in-ring return. He's been out for a long time now, seven months, I think. Kevin Greene's on his way back to the company, too, and I guess he and Flair squashed their beefs because now Greene's going to wrestle with the Horsemen, not against them. Anyway, it's good hypin'. 

 

  • Mongo McMichael/Jeff Jarrett vs. Public Enemy is about the best (mostly) straight-up tag match that you'd expect PE to have in 1997. Of course, it breaks down, Grunge tries to set Debra up on the table and then does set Jarrett up on the table, and ultimately is the only person to actually go through said table. In the ensuing scrum, Rocco eventually grabs the briefcase and clobbers Jeff Jarrett while Jarrett's got Johnny Grunge in the Figure Four. Grunge just keeps his feet entangled with Jarrett's and gets an easy three-count. They really have to stop leaving the briefcase with Debra. 

 

  • Interview to hype the semi-main event with Harlem Heat and Sherri. Booker infamously IS COMIN' FOR HULK HOGAN, UM, SUCKA! Sherri is so nice to Booker after he realizes his mistake, bless her heart. Her face is priceless, hahahaha. This is an elite promo. I love it. She's desperately not trying to burst into laughter. Don't worry Book, you're probably not getting fired; Terry Taylor, Arn Anderson, JJ Dillon, Eric Bischoff, and Paul Orndorff drop that word all the time backstage if a certain lawsuit that WCW lost is any indication.

 

  • Thankfully, Chris Benoit is not wrestling Kevin Sullivan on this show! I was interested to see the finish to this U.S. Championship match against Dean Malenko in particular; would they do what I figured they would? The match itself is solid, definitely better than their Hog Wild match in 1996. Or maybe they're roughly equal, but the crowd being decent for the match in Tupelo is just a massive improvement over a bunch of dopey bikers in Sturgis. They really love it when someone eats a nasty chop, in particular. Then again, I'm not sure these two have the best chemistry, for as similar as their styles are.

 

  • Jacqueline comes down and mollywhops Woman. Jimmy Hart runs down and tries to take the belt before Benoit can win with the flying headbutt he's just hit, but Eddy Guerrero comes out in a sling and stops him. So, we have this wild ending run where Jaqueline is beating holy hell out of Woman, Eddy is stalking Jimmy Hart, and Malenko suplexes Benoit to the floor. Arn jumps Malenko, but steps aside so that Sullivan can jump on the apron and hit Benoit with a stick, which Pee-Wee Anderson actually spots. Benoit wins by DQ; meanwhile, Sullivan, Hart, and Jacqueline frog-march Eddy away from ringside, the belt jammed over Eddy's shoulder. That was convoluted fuckery, but I'm intrigued by where it goes and don't mind the lack of a finish in this match. In the ring, Malenko and Benoit are eyeing one another warily. 

 

  • I should say that I'm much less interested in Arn and Sullivan having their own little truce even though their stables are still willing to feud. It's an attempt to recapture the Sting/Luger dynamic from 1995, but it's far less interesting. 

 

  • Kevin Nash/Rick Steiner is certainly a come-down from the Outsiders/Steiners match that I was previously promised. I'm not hating on Scott Hall being in rehab; I just would prefer Scott Steiner/Nash at the very least. I know, I know, Rick missed last PPV because of the dumb pre-match beat-down angle, so it's his brother's turn now, but still. Nick Patrick is also the ref, which is another detriment to the whole deal. But you know what? Both guys work reasonably hard. Syxx, who never fucking wrestles, is a good, active second to Nash who helps him by pulling down the ropes and spilling Rick to ringside, kicking Rick while Nash talks to Patrick, etc. Even Ted DiBiase throws a punch at ringside.

 

  • Nash is in complete control after Syxx involves himself and hits a Jackknife, but Steiner kicks out at two. Nash tries for another one, but Steiner forearms him in the sack. Steiner hits the super-bulldog, but Nash kicks out at two. The desk swears that Nash didn't kick out, but, um, he sure looked like he did to me. A quick re-watch indicates that he absolutely did. Patrick's not slow-counting at all, or at least not any more than he normally does. Haha, Syxx cannot get the buckle pad off and DiBiase has to jump up and help him. Nash hits Snake Eyes on the exposed buckle once, then again. I guess there's some (unearned, underdeveloped) dissension in this group because Patrick and DiBiase are like, It's cool, just pin him, but Nash is like FUCK Y'ALL and hits a third Snake Eyes. DiBiase's face turn and Steiner managing is absolutely not going to work, as I recall it, but he walks out in disgust for whatever dumb reason anyway. Nash hits a fourth Snake Eyes then hits a Jackknife for an easy three, to Patrick's reluctance for some reason I don't get. 

 

  • You know what would have been better? Nash and Syxx vs. the Steiners. Freebird Rule that shit. 

 

  • I'm all for the nWo starting toward a break-up, but a) you should actually foreshadow dissension properly if you're going to tease a break-up, and b) they're not going to ever break up.

 

  • Luger and Giant get their turn to hype the semi-main event with Okerlund. It is not in any way as entertaining as Harlem Heat's interview. Or even close. 

 

  • The Four Corners match is solid for what it is. There are some interesting spots - Luger trying to slam the Giant, Booker and Stevie arguing outside the ring and Sherri having to calm them down, etc. The crowd is very into Booker versus Stevie when they're tagged in, but WHY would you tag them in at the same time considering the winner gets a title shot? This should just be a Fatal Fourway match with everyone involved at once. Anyway, Harlem Heat exploding is the best it'll ever be in this match. Little bro Booker getting froggy while Stevie Ray just looks at him like an unimpressed older brother should is hilarious, as is both dudes having a nice rope-running sequence and celebrating before Booker tags back out. But eventually, we get a classic Stevie Ray chinlock spot, so what are you gonna do? The Giant gets a hot tag from Luger, gives Booker and Stevie the business, but tags back out to Luger - AWWWWWW - and lets Luger rack Stevie for the submission victory. Not a bad move, Giant! I think Luger'll make the most of that title shot! This actually was sort of heartwarming. I like it when babyfaces are buddies. 

 

  • I'm interested to see how I assess Savage/Page. The build hasn't done much for me, nor did Page and Kimberly's pre-match promo. This match is fine. It's no DQ, which I think makes it a bit less interesting than it otherwise might be. Mark Curtis is out here getting in the way, taking a chair from Savage, which irritates me considering the match type. Savage does go out and slap Dave Penzer around just to take the man's chair, so there's a purpose to Curtis doing this, but still. The match is built around Savage being a dick and controlling the match while Page fires up from underneath. It's fine, but it doesn't grab me. The crowd seems to like it well enough. Savage can't hit the elbow, but he recovers and piledrives Curtis, then takes Curtis's belt off and whips him with it. He tries again and nails it. Of course, there's no one to count since he spiked the ref. Nick Patrick comes down to ref, and Kevin Nash excitedly watches for DDP to catch that ass-whipping from the ramp. Too bad for Savage that when he picks Page up for a slam, Page reverses into a Diamond Cutter. Patrick counts the three and Nash comes down angrily and goozles him. Bischoff brings down most of the troops, huffing and puffing one and all, and Nash Jackknifes Patrick. Meanwhile, Savage grabs Kimberly and Bisch has to stop Savage from hitting her. I guess after years of people physically attacking Liz, he figured from experience that it'd be a good way to get someone else's goat. Savage and Bischoff go at it, and Savage slaps Bischoff before the nWo jumps in and separates them. I didn't find any of this to be particularly good. There's no clear reason that the nWo is beefing with one another outside of maybe Patrick just counting threes that he should count. Page got the win, but it was pretty much overshadowed immediately by the nWo angle. Oh, and the match was bang average at best, not the main event match you'd watch Page to have for his first go-round. 

 

  • This show was fine, but it definitely felt like a water-treader in a lot of ways except for the nWo's internal dissension, which wasn't well-presented, IMO. Well, and the weird Eddy/Malenko stuff got wrapped into the Benoit/Dungeon stuff, I suppose, and that might be interesting. 

 

  • It's weird that there were only five Spring Stampede shows. This show has a bigger prominence in my mind than maybe it deserves. Mostly because of the first one, I gather. 

 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, SirSmellingtonofCascadia said:

It's weird that there were only five Spring Stampede shows. This show has a bigger prominence in my mind than maybe it deserves. Mostly because of the first one, I gather.

I think WCW was planning on replacing Spring Stampede with Uncensored, but the reception to the first Uncensored was so bad that they second-guessed themselves

WCW's trading card for Spring Stampede famously featured an incorrect description on the back that instead described  Uncensored:

https://www.tcdb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/72624/cid/5236141/1995-Cardz-WCW-Main-Event-89-WCW-Spring-Stampede?PageIndex=1

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It's a shame that there's not any/much prime Mr. Wrestling II on tape. I just do not get it, but yeah, he is loved by the crowds. I wonder if this feeling I have about II is how we'd feel about Flair if there was no tape on him from before 1994.

EDIT: With the difference being that you could at least understand Flair's popularity from a mic-work perspective in that theoretical situation.

Edited by SirSmellingtonofCascadia
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I am a sucker for a well-booked one-night title tournament and would have loved to see the full North American title tournament that is shown on the 4/2/83 Mid-South Episode. It gets newcomers Butch Reed and Tito Santana over, has an awesome and logical Mr. Olympia turn, and the controversial finish leads into ANOTHER show. The only downside is that the Black Ninja blows, but even the Ninja/Tito finish is kinda cool.

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On 12/6/2022 at 4:59 PM, SirSmellingtonofCascadia said:

SuperBrawl VII (1997) notes:

  • There is a whole vignette with Roddy Piper leaving Alcatraz that I don't need to relate to you except that when he takes off running across an empty courtyard and yelling, I laughed so hard. It was a textbook example of unintentional humor. 

It’s a touchy subject to some people, but Piper in WCW was unintentionally funny many times. It was so funny that the laughter became anxiety laughter a few times.

On 12/6/2022 at 4:59 PM, SirSmellingtonofCascadia said:

 

  • Syxx tries to use the belt, but Eddy Guerrero comes out and grabs the other end of it as Syxx re-enters the ring, dragging it along.. Unfortunately for Eddy, he loses his grip and it slingshots back into Malenko's face as Malenko tries to grab Syxx from behind. Syxx gets the win and the gold, we get an Eddy/Malenko feud set up, and I am happy. This match never gets mentioned as one of the best WCW PPV matches from this time, does it? It should. 

This was 1 of the many little accidents that set up Eddie’s heel turn. This was 1 of the most realistic and well done slow burning heel turns in history if you ask me. It was unusual for WCW. Eddie was just always in the wrong place at the wrong time and he would get mad every time he was blamed or questioned but he would never cross over. Then he finally did and his explanation was basically what the hell you been booing me anyway so.

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I am watching Capital Carnage, and the Attitude Era was fucking stupid. Going back to watch this makes me wonder about myself and everyone else who thought this was any good when it aired. 

I also get a kick out of Vince McMahon being so thrilled about being invited to speak at Oxford. He desperately wants the approval of the same intellectuals that he hates on for not "getting it."

I will give him a lot of credit for heeling on the UK fans by making an historical argument about the end of the British Empire, if only because it led Jerry Lawler to going "HA, Falkland Islands!" like Lawler knows where the Falkland Islands are or even what two countries contested those islands. 

He also told the attending crowd that they'd eventually be ruled by a PM of Pakistani descent, and they only partially booed! Good for them! Anyway, you should've guessed a country over, Vince, even though in reality, Sunak is from fucking Southampton.

 

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7 hours ago, SirSmellingtonofCascadia said:

I am watching Capital Carnage, and the Attitude Era was fucking stupid. Going back to watch this makes me wonder about myself and everyone else who thought this was any good when it aired.

I 1,000% get this coming from 2022 eyes. But I think we all forget just how bad the era preceding it was. Austin flipping people off and DX's dick jokes or Undertaker hanging people on crosses are are infinitely better than watching a Mantaur squash or Man Mountain Rock play a WWF logo guitar. It's trashy. But so was everything else in America in 1997 / 1998 / 1999. The tail end of The New Generation was just the worst of the worst. Mimes, jock strap mask Montoya, gross fat dudes named Booger, Just low brow bad child humor in some of the most stale presentation possible.

Still doesn't make it any less gross to look back on. But going from The Bodydonnas & The Godwinns to Edge & Christian and The Hardys was earth shattering in the moment.

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15 hours ago, NoFistsJustFlips said:

I 1,000% get this coming from 2022 eyes. But I think we all forget just how bad the era preceding it was. Austin flipping people off and DX's dick jokes or Undertaker hanging people on crosses are are infinitely better than watching a Mantaur squash or Man Mountain Rock play a WWF logo guitar. It's trashy. But so was everything else in America in 1997 / 1998 / 1999. The tail end of The New Generation was just the worst of the worst. Mimes, jock strap mask Montoya, gross fat dudes named Booger, Just low brow bad child humor in some of the most stale presentation possible.

Still doesn't make it any less gross to look back on. But going from The Bodydonnas & The Godwinns to Edge & Christian and The Hardys was earth shattering in the moment.

I've been watching the era proceeding it, and I think while a lot of it is bad, the Attitude Era is overall roughly as bad in a different way. The big difference is that there's a massive star power jump at the tip-top of the card from Michaels/Nash/Hitman to Austin/Rock. 

EDIT: And I'd argue that the actual wrestling between '94 and '96 WWF is generally more likely to turn out enjoyable watches than in '98 - '00, with only the main event brawls and some of the advanced ladder match stuff of the Attitude era as an exception.

Edited by SirSmellingtonofCascadia
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I have tried to watch 98 Raw a couple of years back. It starts out being a really good show but shortly after King of the Ring, it becomes almost unwatchable. And I am not talking about the wrestling itself or the undercard but the main event angle. The Austin vs. Undertaker vs. Kane including Vince feud is so bad, the segments are completely nonsensical and are all over the shows. I quit a couple of weeks after Summerslam.

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'98 is weird because the PPVs, particularly the Big Five, are excellent. Deadly Games might be the best one-night tournament in pro wrestling solely on the strength of the booking. But the weekly TV that glues those big shows together is so awful. Negative wrestling and a bunch of stupid undercard angles, plus the Undertaker/Kane stuff was already long in the tooth.

Edited by SirSmellingtonofCascadia
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9 hours ago, SirSmellingtonofCascadia said:

I've been watching the era proceeding it, and I think while a lot of it is bad, the Attitude Era is overall roughly as bad in a different way. The big difference is that there's a massive star power jump at the tip-top of the card from Michaels/Nash/Hitman to Austin/Rock. 

EDIT: And I'd argue that the actual wrestling between '94 and '96 WWF is generally more likely to turn out enjoyable watches than in '98 - '00, with only the main event brawls and some of the advanced ladder match stuff of the Attitude era as an exception.

I've mentioned this a bunch, but I'm forever on the "actually 94 WWF was good" train. Yes there was goofy gimmick stuff, but its mostly relegated to the lower card. Give me Quebecers matches over most anything in wrestling.

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WWE Libraries ( WWE, CWC and WCW and ECW and territories footage and footage from all of the other companies they bought over the years and many other footage from various documentaries, reality shows, and fictional works, etc) known as WWE Libraries Inc. and WWE Legacy Department.

https://www.wwe.com/classics/inside-video-vault

https://www.entertainmentcareers.net/jobseeker/jobdetails.asp?id=216579

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  • 2 weeks later...

experiencing it at the time, I was surprised in summer 98 that people were liking the Rock so quickly... of course I was in 7th grade, so I wasn't exactly any sort of expert, but I wonder how many plans changed with how the Rock was getting over at that time

I also went to a school with a more Samoans than the average school (in the USA or especially in Missouri), so when we had a talent show-ish assembly in 8th grade (1999/2000) and they were doing a haka (or whatever a Samoan haka is called), one of the Samoan dudes doing the "Smell What The Rock Is Cooking" turnbuckle gesture was instantly recognizable to the other students there.

Edited by Cobra Commander
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Slamboree 1997 notes: 

  • Steven William Regal and Ultimo Dragon have an interesting match. It starts a bit slow and they don't gel well until they get to the point where Dragon starts pulling out offense that Regal's never seen; Regal and Dragon both sell Regal's confusion as a detriment to his ability to control the match. The idea, I think, is that this is a competition between Regal's British matwork-and-bar-fight style of controlling a match and Dragon's unorthodox cultural mash-up of styles. I love the idea in theory, but this match doesn't quite get it right. It's almost compelling, but it never makes that leap that you'd hope for with such a clear narrative thread running through it. Regal gets a chant going for him here in Charlotte, though, so that's something neat. I don't want to be too harsh because they do pick it up as they go into the climax of the match and have some nice sequences. Sonny Onoo and Dragon are basically sick of each other, though, so Onoo kicks Dragon in the back of the head on purpose, and it spells the end for Dragon's TV Title reign. It's worth watching just to see the psychology of the match, and I'd also suggest watching the previous Nitro's Regal promo on 5.12.97 if you do, since it actually sets up the story of the match. 

 

  • In what I would guess, without looking it up, is Luna Vachon's only WCW PPV in-ring appearance, Luna loses to Madusa in what is a perfectly cromulent match. Heck, Madusa gets legit busted open. I think some of those strikes hurt without looking particularly great. This is alright, though. Both women work as hard as they can and put together something decent. 

 

  • Randy Savage cuts an in-ring promo on PPV. Ew, no. You already sold me the PPV with your talking, theoretically. DDP enters the ring with a crutch, but rather than bludgeoning Savage, he talks to him. I am not a fan of this feud. Eventually, DDP bashes the fuck out of Savage, Bisch, and a couple B-teamers with the crutch before Norton jumps in and we get a *sigh* nWo beatdown. The Giant makes the save, though. I mean, the crowd loved this. I bet I did too back in 1997. 

 

  • Yuji Yasoruoka was in a random WAR match I watched a few weeks ago! He was also in this equally random Slamboree match against Rey Misterio Jr. It's okay, I suppose. Yasoruoka isn't particularly interesting in control. Rey does the plancha over the ref spot that rules, though. Rey is always good for at least one dope spot even in the dullest of TV matches or in nothing PPV matches. This isn't a bad match. It's acceptable. I don't know what it's doing on this show, though, or why Yasuruoka got so much offense. 

 

  • I enjoy having Kanyon on my TV screen doing overelaborate, but somehow appropriate offense in a goofy gimmick, so I was pleased to see a return match between Mortis and Glacier. Actually, most of Mortis's offense was stomping Glacier's Cryonic Kick leg, so we didn't get said offense, but this was less a match than a continuation of an angle. And actually, Mortis hit a leg lariat onto the stairs in the post-match beatdown, so we got at least one novel wrestling move. In the end, Glacier is saved by ERNEST "THE CAT" MILLER, whom I unabashedly love. Things are looking up for Glacier's short tenure in WCW!

 

  • The Charlotte crowd thinks Jeff Jarrett sucks, but actually this first WCW run of his has been excellent. IDK what the fuck they're talking about here in Charlotte. This U.S. title against Dean Malenko match is not his best work, but it's still solid. Malenko's gameplan never quite comes together; Jarrett shrugs off his legwork for the most part and uses his veteran wiles (read: he cheats and clubbers) to control the match. One dude who looks like he's made of tobacco juice sitting in the third row is solely focused on flicking off Jarrett whenever Jarrett is turned his way. It's hilarious. Anyway, it had a nice, fairly intense finishing run, and Mongo coming out to interject didn't really harm the finish, at least from my view. While Mongo doesn't entirely fuck Jarrett's chances up, he tosses Jarrett back in the ring before Jarrett's really recovered and leaves him dead for Malenko and the Texas Cloverleaf. I expected Jarrett to win the gold here because I'm pretty sure this title goes Malenko -> Jarrett -> Mongo, but I might have misremembered. 

 

  • You may not be surprised at this, but Meng and Chris Benoit wrestled a pretty good deathmatch. They didn't just go to using chairs and tables and wandering around doing a bunch of bland brawling. They worked this logically; Meng was the stalking killer in a slasher film who Benoit needed to outfox. Eventually, though, it became less about outfoxing Meng and more about being able to take punishment and persevere for Ebnoit. The crowd was weird about when it chose to pop and sort of hurt the match, but not in any significant way. Also, the finish is sweet, with Meng locking the TDG onto a diving Benoit. That shit ruled, and nary a weapon was used. Well, now I think Meng can beat anyone this side of Sting for the next couple months, so I hope they end up using this effectively.

 

  • The Steiners and Hugh Morrus/Konnan had an alright little match. Hey, Morrus getting tossed into the lights is never boring. Konnan was real quick to beat up Morrus for taking the pinfall. It's not like they've been on a losing streak or anything. Jimmy Hart yelling I THOUGHT YOU SAID BLOOD IN, BLOOD OUT cracked me up for whatever reason. 

 

  • Mongo McMichael and Reggie White wasn't good in a conventional sense, but it was a spectacle. Never discount the power of Two Meaty Men Slappin' Meat (tm Big E). I will say that my favorite thing about this was Mongo getting more and more rattled as the match went on, Gilbert Brown showed up to support Reggie, and Reggie wouldn't quit. Also, there was a power-out-of-a-hold spot centered around blaspheming, which somehow worked amazingly. Mongo was out here promising Reggie that he'll go to church if he just lets up off that nervehold, and I will say again that the wider wrestling world needs to reassess Mongo and give him his flowers. It was awful nice of Jarrett to help Mongo get the win with a Halliburton after how shamefully Mongo treated Jarrett earlier. 

 

  • The main event, which pits the WCW members of the Kliq against Flair/Piper/Kevin Greene, gets off to a great start with Buffer's over-the-top introductions of all the wrestlers. He had me cracking up. Tony S. also cracks me up by insinuating that when Flair beat Vader for the WCW title at Starrcade 1993, Vader left WCW in shame. So, we're getting a Syxx/Flair feud out of all this stuff, and I'm personally happy for Syxx to get that level of feud partner, but I don't want to watch Syxx carry past-his-prime Flair to something decent. Speaking of Syxx, this guy kills me. He's repping THUG across his tights like he's Tupac

 

  • Oh yeah, the match! It's quite fun! Flair and Syxx do have decent chemistry. And there's a series of tags that is well done. They escalate the tags!   Syxx tags Hall; Flair tags Greene in response, so Hall tags Nash. No one touches another person, unless you count Hall spitting on Greene. The Nash/Greene segment is great, and Greene finding a way to eventually overpower Nash really does come off impressively. Greene is like if you took the Ultimate Warrior, but made him a standard 'roid-crazy jock instead of a mystical peyote (and 'roid) using goofball. Kevin Greene is better than Ultimate Warrior, I guess is what I'm saying. Obviously, Piper is the worst thing about this match, but he's not so bad that he makes the match appreciably worse, and actually he has a couple good spots in here. Hall slaps his injured hip, and he immediately slaps Hall in the face like it was a completely programmed response. That's good stuff. This is a textbook example of how to lay out a match where of the six workers involved, two are over the hill, one is limited, and one is a unspectacular-if-solid worker. This is not just Hall and Syxx carrying the show or anything. It's the typical shine-heat-comeback deal, but really well-laid-out. And the good guys win! Definitively! Well, look at that. What a concept, WCW.

 

  • That was an uneven, but ultimately enjoyable PPV. No Luger, no match for the BGB, no Sting appearance, no problem! 

 

 

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Tito Santana's stepover toehold looks great. He might have be best one of those I've seen. I'm adding it to the list of modern-day moves people should steal and use as finishes, along with the slingshot suplex and a really tight-looking kneelift (which is the one thing about Mr. Wrestling II that I dig). 

EDIT: Tito and King Kong Bundy had a DOPE TV match on 6/18/83 Mid-South. It's worth going out of your way to watch. 

Edited by SirSmellingtonofCascadia
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On 12/23/2022 at 1:20 AM, colonial said:

I always got a kick out of Adam Bomb in WWF -- his gimmick was incredibly goofy, but he had an above-average move set for a big man and, based on the one time I saw him live, was one of the few guys on the roster at the time to give it 110% on house shows.

I liked Kronik as well -- a good big man team with decent double teams, but they had X-Pac heat with the crowd.

Adam Bomb and his other incarnations were much more fun than a lot of people give him credit for. Nice to read some positive comments. He had the big guy who can do agile stuff aspect in '93-early 95 that Ahmed Johnson had for a bit in late '95 and mid '96. Those two could have had a nice trainwreck of a match in '95 if their paths had crossed.

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